Pages

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

The Sacred Meal

The sacred meal that is part of our faith does more than connect us to the holy. It connects us to each other.

"I think Jesus wanted his disciples and everyone who came after him to remember what they had together. What they made together. What it meant to be together. How the things he wanted them to do could not be done alone. How the things he did could not have been done without them."

In her inimitable style of memoir and personal reflection, Nora Gallagher explores the beauty and mystery of this most fascinating of topics. Whether exploring the history of Christian Communion, taking us inside the workings of a soup kitchen or sharing times of joy and sadness with friends, the author reminds us what it means to partake of and be part of the body of Christ.

The Ancient Practices is an eight-book series with staggered releases through February 2010. Though various books have covered some of these spiritual disciplines, there has never been an attempt at a definitive series until now. Immensely compelling and readable, each classic book features a foreword by Phyllis Tickle, the general editor.

Who is Nora Gallagher?
Nora Gallagher’s novel, Changing Light, received outstanding reviews in the New York Times Book Review, the Boston Globe, the San Francisco Chronicle and the Los Angeles Times. Her memoir Things Seen and Unseen: A Year Lived in Faith was a bestseller. Her second memoir Practicing Resurrection was a finalist for Beliefnet Book of the Year. She is licensed to preach by the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, a preacher-in-residence at Trinity Episcopal Church in Santa Barbara, and is on the Board of Advisors of the Yale Divinity School. She is married to novelist and poet, Vincent Stanley.

My Thoughts
Have you really sit down and reflect on the whole meaning behind the sacred meal? What do the bread and the wine represent? Are you doing it out of a habit these days or are you really reflecting on what Christ did for you? Do you truthfully confess to God your sins before taking part of the communion?

The Sacred Meal will help you to dig deeper in the real meaning of the communion and what it represent. Communion is a practice that some churches do every week while other do every once in a while... Essentially, it represents the death of Jesus Christ for our sins. But it is also so much more when you read this book. There is the waiting – the reflection on our sins, the receiving – accepting in our heart what Jesus did, and then confessing to God. It is the partaking with others in a practice that has been there since a long time. It is being thankful for God’s grace upon us.

I am unveiling a new way of seeing the communion in my life and I am quite enjoying this book which is part of The Ancient Practices Series. I am also rediscovering the reason why Catholics (I was raised catholic) do communion every week. One specific chapter gives the history of the Eucharist in brief. In that chapter, the author recall an experience she had at her church during a special meal where people would experience the washing of each other feet and the communion in the midst of the meal. This sounds fascinating to me and part of me would like to participate to such an experience.

Part of me misses the weekly communion at church. I would like to see a special room at any church where you can go for communion each Sundays. A room where you can reflect on Christ sacrifice and take the bread (real bread) and the wine (wine and grape juice offered to everyone) after coming to God while being humble before Him.

I think that this book should be read by every Christians around the world so that many could comprehend the meaning behind the discipline of communion.

This review was possible because I received a copy of The Sacred Meal from Thomas Nelson